


One day

by aidacaroti



Series: After the War [9]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adult Hermione Granger, Family Feels, Fertility Issues, Gen, Harry Potter is a Good Friend, Loving Marriage, Minor Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Ron Weasley-centric, Supportive Harry Potter, Supportive Hermione Granger, Supportive Ron Weasley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24389842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aidacaroti/pseuds/aidacaroti
Summary: Ron comes home to say that Harry & Ginny are pregnant, again.Hermione and Ron try to deal with the fact that it's not them.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Series: After the War [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/344069
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	One day

“Ginny’s pregnant,” Ron said as he walked into their newly decorated living room with pale mint walls. It had been the last room to be decorated and they’d argued the entire way round B&Q about the colour. Ron had wanted a sunny yellow, but Hermione had argued that blue would be much more tranquil. In the end, they’d compromised by neither of them getting what they wanted. They both couldn’t help but admit that the mint colour was just as lovely as the salesperson had promised. Hermione had since populated the room with succulents, in a variety of sizes, that seemed to peak from every shelf. Ron had begun to think that these succulents were multiplying as there seemed to be a new one each month.

Ron flopped down onto the sofa that had been a hand-me-down of Bill’s. It had been rather tatty, and Ron had patched it best he could before resorting to throwing a large throw over it. “Oh,” said Hermione, clutching her mug of tea closer to her chest. 

“Yeah,” said Ron, running a hand warily through his hair. 

There was a heavy pause where neither looked at each other. Hermione determinedly picked back up her book and flicked the page sharply. Ron picked at the throw’s loose threads. 

“Harry told me, I suppose he didn’t want us to be surprised with it at Mum’s tomorrow.” Harry had been almost apologetic as he had cornered Ron after the game that day. The cannons had had a great match- they’d only lost by 40points, the closest game in three seasons- and Ron had been on top of the world. Harry’s admission had quickly brought Ron back down to earth. Then he’d been flooded with guilt as he took in the caged-joy in Harry’s face and the pity that filled his voice as he’d noticed Ron’s less than thrilled response. 

“That’s good of them.” Hermione’s voice was far from kind, it had the hurt tone that Ron knew well from their many years together. Hermione suddenly seemed very far away on her own sofa by the window. The light was streaming through the bay window basking the room in a soft glow. The dappled light seemed to emphasise her beauty and as always it took his breath away. 

Ron stood up to move to sit next to Hermione on the less damaged sofa they had bought second-hand in a Muggle charity shop. It had been a spur of the moment purchase as their friends had invited themselves over soon after they’d moved in, and they had been worried they didn’t have enough seats. It had turned out even with the additional sofa they still lacked seats. However, Ron had felt this was a good excuse to not have his entire family visit more than necessary. He would always prefer to visit them rather than have to host twenty plus hungry Weasley’s that don’t understand personal space and ‘Please don’t touch that!’. “I can tell them we can’t go,” Ron said gently, wrapping his arm around Hermione’s shuddering shoulders.

“No, we can go,” Hermione said, shaking her head firmly. Hermione gave a half-smile to him and patted his hand in an attempt to reassure Ron. Ron couldn’t help but frown down at her. 

“We don’t have to, honestly, we can blame me- say that I’m sick from eating some dodgy food,” Ron said with a sad smile. “Everyone would believe that.” Hermione gave a little snort of laughter at that. Only the other week, Ron had eaten leftover curry that had been sitting on the side for three days. He had ended up with food poisoning, which was of no surprise to anyone except for himself. 

“Harry and Ginny wouldn’t,” Hermione pointed out, finally putting down her book. “And it’s not fair to them, I want to be there to say congratulations.” Harry and Ginny had always wanted a big family and James was almost one and a half. It shouldn’t have come to any surprise to them as it had only been a matter of time. 

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Ron couldn’t help but look at her knowingly, and Hermione’s heckles rose. 

“It’s not their fault that I can’t get pregnant,” Hermione said sharply. 

“It’s not our fault either,” Ron said gently, wrapping his arms around her even more firmly. “It’s no one's fault.” 

“We started trying before them,” Hermione said simply. “We’ve been trying over a year, and Ginny told me only a few months ago that she wanted to wait until James was older.” 

“I know, but you know what the healer said and-” They’d finally gone to a healer a couple of months ago. According to their healer, they were both young, and these things can take time, and all their tests so far suggested there wasn’t any reason to explain their fertility problems. 

“But we’ve done everything properly! How is it fair?” Hermione broke out of Ron’s arms and stood up, pacing towards the large bay windows at the front of their house. The house that they had skimped and saved for that had needed so much work, but they’d bought it because it was the house they could picture having children in. 

The day they’d moved in they’d gone to one of the bedrooms, and said that this room would be the nursery. Then, they’d spent two years decorating the whole house, fixing the pointing, the leaks… They’d ripped out the kitchen, remodelled the bathroom so that there was a large tub there. Then they had saved, and saved because everyone always says babies are expensive, and no child of theirs was going to go without. 

Then, when the stars had aligned, and everything had seemed perfect, they’d decided to try. It had felt so exciting to them both, and they’d talked about what they would call their children and how they would decorate the nursery. Because despite all the books they’d read, all the research Hermione had done, they had thought it would happen quickly. Every month they had gotten their hopes up, to have it heartbreakingly dashed by a blank window in a test. All around them, people had fallen pregnant, some planned, some not, with apparent ease. 

But not them.

“It’s not fair, Hermione,” Ron sighed. 

“I am happy for them,” Hermione said. She had folded her arms over on herself and Ron couldn’t help but notice how small and sad she looked.

“Me too.”

“I just wish it was us.”

Ron closed his eyes and blinked away the wetness. “It will be.” He patted the sofa next to him, and Hermione sat back down exhaustedly. 

“One day,” Hermione sighed, picking up her book. 

“One day.” Ron agreed.


End file.
